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# How to install the SimplyPrint Client on a Raspberry Pi, Windows, Mac, Linux, Docker or Chromebook

# How to install the SimplyPrint Client on a Raspberry Pi, Windows, Mac, Linux, Docker or Chromebook

The SimplyPrint Client is the small app that connects your printers to SimplyPrint. This guide helps you pick the device to run it on, choose the right Raspberry Pi image, and install it - including next to OctoPrint on a Pi you already use.

||| The device running the Client must stay on, and stay awake, on the same network as your printers. If it sleeps or shuts down, your printers go offline in SimplyPrint.

## What this guide covers
- [Pick the device](#2-pick-the-device)
- [How many printers one install handles](#2-how-many-printers-one-install-handles)
- [Raspberry Pi: flash the SimplyPrint Client OS image](#2-raspberry-pi-flash-the-simplyprint-client-os-image)
- [Run it next to OctoPrint on the same Pi](#2-run-it-next-to-octoprint-on-the-same-pi)
- [Windows](#2-windows)
- [Mac](#2-mac)
- [Linux](#2-linux)
- [Docker](#2-docker)
- [Chromebook](#2-chromebook)
- [After installing: add your printers](#2-after-installing-add-your-printers)

## Pick the device
Any computer that is always on works. You do not need one per printer.

| Device | What you need | Good to know |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Raspberry Pi | Pi 3, 4 or 5, or a Pi Zero 2 W. 2 GB RAM recommended, an 8 GB+ microSD card | The most common choice: cheap, low power, built to run around the clock |
| Windows | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, 4 GB RAM | Turn off sleep, or the printers go offline |
| Mac | macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer, Intel or Apple Silicon, 4 GB RAM | A Mac mini is a very stable choice for many printers |
| Linux | x86_64, aarch64 or armv7l with systemd, 2 GB RAM | On ARM boards: Debian Bookworm or newer |
| Docker | Any Docker host that can use host networking | Updates by pulling a new image |
| Home Assistant | Home Assistant OS or a Supervised install, 64-bit | See [Run the SimplyPrint Client as a Home Assistant add-on](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/run-the-simplyprint-client-as-a-home-assistant-add-on-ab2n8m/) |
| Chromebook | The Linux development environment | Possible, but not recommended, because Chromebooks sleep |

Phones, tablets and iPads cannot run the Client. You can still use them to control your printers through SimplyPrint once the Client runs somewhere else.

## How many printers one install handles
One Client connects every supported printer on its network, across brands. The Client has no fixed printer limit, and print farms run 30 to 40 printers from a single install.

What limits you is the computer:
- A Raspberry Pi 4 handles a typical home or small-farm setup.
- For many printers, use a Raspberry Pi 5 with more RAM, or a Windows, Linux or Mac computer with a bit more power. A Mac mini is a good choice if you want stability.

| Run only **one** Client for each printer. Two Clients connected to the same printer fight over the connection, and the printer flickers between online and offline.

## Raspberry Pi: flash the SimplyPrint Client OS image
The image is Raspberry Pi OS Lite with the Client already installed, so there is nothing to set up after flashing.

1. Install [Raspberry Pi Imager](https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/) on your computer and insert the microSD card.
2. Click **Choose OS**, then **Other specific-purpose OS** > **3D printing** > **SimplyPrint**, and pick:
   - **SimplyPrint Client OS (Raspberry Pi 4 & 5)**, or
   - **SimplyPrint Client OS (Raspberry Pi 3)**, also for the Pi Zero 2 W.
   If SimplyPrint isn't listed, download the [Pi 4 & 5 image](https://download.simplyprint.io/client/images/simplyprint-client-rpi-arm64.img.zip) or the [Pi 3 image](https://download.simplyprint.io/client/images/simplyprint-client-rpi-armv7l.img.zip) and choose **Use custom**.
3. Click **Choose storage** and pick the microSD card.
4. In **Edit settings**, enable SSH with a username and password (write them down), and enter your Wi-Fi name, password and country. Use the same network as your printers. On Ethernet, skip the Wi-Fi part.
5. Write the card, put it in the Pi and power it on. Give it a couple of minutes to boot.
6. On a computer on the same network, open **http://<pi-ip>:8000**.

**Check:** the SimplyPrint Client opens in your browser. Can't find the Pi's IP? See [Find the IP of your Raspberry Pi](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/find-the-ip-of-your-raspberry-pi-t2318c/).

**Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W?** It runs the Client too. It has 512 MB of memory and no Ethernet port, so it suits a printer or two on good Wi-Fi. For more printers, use a Pi 4 or 5.

|| Pi Imager also lists two other SimplyPrint images. **SimplyPrint Bambu Lab Client OS** is the old Bambu-only client - don't pick it for a new install. **SimplyPrint OS (OctoPrint-based, for Marlin)** is a different method, for printers you connect to the Pi with a USB cable through OctoPrint.

## Run it next to OctoPrint on the same Pi
Flashing the SimplyPrint Client OS image wipes the card, so it replaces OctoPrint. To keep OctoPrint, install the Client on the Pi you already have instead.

1. Connect to the Pi over SSH.
2. Run `sudo bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://download.simplyprint.io/client/install-linux.sh)"` and follow the prompts.
3. Open **http://<pi-ip>:8000**.

**Check:** the Client opens on port 8000, and OctoPrint still opens at its usual address.

The Pi now runs both, so give it some headroom. One or two extra printers are rarely a problem on a Pi 4 or 5. The installer needs Raspberry Pi OS based on Debian Bookworm or newer, and stops with a message if your system is older.

## Windows
1. Download the [Windows installer](https://download.simplyprint.io/client/SimplyPrintClient-Setup-x64.exe) and run it. If Windows warns you, click **More info** > **Run anyway**.
2. When it finishes, a SimplyPrint icon appears in the system tray. The Client starts with Windows and runs in the background.
3. Open it from the tray icon, or go to **http://localhost:8000**.

**Check:** the Client opens, and the tray icon is there after a restart.

Turn off sleep in the Windows power settings. A sleeping PC takes your printers offline. A portable [zip build](https://download.simplyprint.io/client/simplyprint-client-windows-AMD64.zip) also exists, but it does not update itself, so the installer is the better choice.

## Mac
1. Download the installer for your Mac: [Apple Silicon (M-series)](https://download.simplyprint.io/client/simplyprint-client-macos-arm64.pkg) or [Intel](https://download.simplyprint.io/client/simplyprint-client-macos-x86_64.pkg). Not sure? Apple menu > **About This Mac**.
2. Open the installer and leave **Start at login** on.
3. If macOS blocks the app, allow it in **System Settings** > **Privacy & Security**.
4. In **System Settings** > **General** > **Login Items**, make sure SimplyPrint Client is allowed in the background.
5. Open the Client from the menu bar icon, or go to **http://localhost:8000**.

**Check:** the menu bar icon is there, and the Client opens. If the Mac restarts, make sure it logs back in, or the Client won't start.

Prefer Homebrew? Run `brew install simplyprint/tap/simplyprint-client`, then `brew services start simplyprint-client`.

## Linux
1. Open a terminal and run `sudo bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://download.simplyprint.io/client/install-linux.sh)"`.
2. Follow the prompts. The Client is installed as the `simplyprint-client` systemd service and starts on boot.
3. Open **http://localhost:8000**, or **http://<device-ip>:8000** from another computer.

**Check:** `systemctl status simplyprint-client` shows the service as active.

## Docker
The official image is `simplyprint/simplyprint-client` on Docker Hub. It needs host networking to find printers on your network. It does not need privileged mode.

1. Create and start the container: `docker run -d --name simplyprint-client --network=host --restart=always -v simplyprint_data:/root/.config/SimplyPrint simplyprint/simplyprint-client`
2. Open **http://<docker-host-ip>:8000**.

**Check:** `docker ps` shows the container running, and the Client opens.

Prefer Docker Compose? The [setup guide](https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client) has a ready `compose.yaml` with the same settings: host networking, `restart: always` and the `simplyprint_data` volume. Start it with `docker compose up -d`.

The `simplyprint_data` volume holds your printers and settings, so keep it when you update.

**Port 8000 already taken?** The container stops with "Configured fixed web port 0.0.0.0:8000 is already in use". Pick another port with the `SIMPLYPRINT_WEB_PORT` environment variable, for example `-e SIMPLYPRINT_WEB_PORT=8010` in `docker run`, then open that port instead.

To update a Docker install, see [How to update the SimplyPrint Client](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/how-to-update-the-simplyprint-client-in-app-docker-linux-and-release-channels-1cryi62/).

## Chromebook
A Chromebook can run the Client through its Linux development environment. It is not recommended: if the Chromebook sleeps or you close the lid, your printers go offline. A Raspberry Pi is the better always-on device, and you can keep using the Chromebook to reach SimplyPrint.

1. Open **Settings** > **Advanced** > **Developers** and turn on **Linux development environment**.
2. Open the **Terminal** app and run `sudo bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://download.simplyprint.io/client/install-linux.sh)"`.
3. Open **http://localhost:8000**.

**Check:** the Client opens in the Chromebook's browser.

## After installing: add your printers
In the Client, click **Add printer**, pick your brand and follow the steps. Each printer then shows a setup code, and **Set up in SimplyPrint** links it to your account. The brand steps are in [Connect your printers with the SimplyPrint Client](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/connect-your-printers-with-the-simplyprint-client-nxcgz1/).

Already have the printer in SimplyPrint from an earlier setup? Link it to the existing printer instead of adding a new one, so its history is kept. See [Manage the SimplyPrint Client](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/manage-the-simplyprint-client-logs-password-backups-and-printers-6bx4n/#2-re-add-a-printer-and-link-it-to-the-existing-one).

## Related articles
- [Connect your printers with the SimplyPrint Client](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/connect-your-printers-with-the-simplyprint-client-nxcgz1/)
- [How to update the SimplyPrint Client](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/how-to-update-the-simplyprint-client-in-app-docker-linux-and-release-channels-1cryi62/)
- [Manage the SimplyPrint Client: logs, password, backups and printers](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/manage-the-simplyprint-client-logs-password-backups-and-printers-6bx4n/)
- [Run the SimplyPrint Client as a Home Assistant add-on](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/run-the-simplyprint-client-as-a-home-assistant-add-on-ab2n8m/)
- [Migrating from the SimplyPrint Bambu Lab client to the new SimplyPrint Client](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/migrating-from-the-simplyprint-bambu-lab-client-to-the-new-simplyprint-client-1921hju/)
- [Why is my printer offline?](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/why-is-my-printer-offline-jzctwn/)